‘FINDING CHRISTMAS’ CAST BIOS TRICIA HELFER (Ryan) — Tricia Helfer so artfully inhabits a role; the effect is at once spellbinding and profound. Helfer’s star-turn as Six on the Peabody and Emmy® Award-winning Syfy series “Battlestar Galactica” showcased her dazzling gift to breathe life into several distinct characters. Whether regal and aloof or achingly vulnerable, all were steeled in truth. After “Battlestar Galactica’s” four-season run, Helfer immediately launched into a recurring role as Carla on USA Network’s stalwart spy vs. spy series “Burn Notice,” starring Jeffrey Donovan. Her solid work on that series was quickly followed by a starring role as Alex Rice in Jerry Bruckheimer’s TNT police procedural “Dark Blue.” Most recently, Helfer played Alex Clark on the NBC legal drama “The Firm” with Josh Lucas. Helfer’s memorable guest starring roles include the icy serial killer Izzy Rogers in the 2012 two-part finale of CBS’ “Criminal Minds,” which handily won its time slot. Next Fall, Tricia stars as Molly Parker in the new ABC series “Killer Women.” On the big screen, Helfer’s credits include the indie features “Memory” with Dennis Hopper, “A Beginner’s Guide to Beginnings” with Harvey Keitel and Scott Caan, and “Open House” opposite Brian Geraghty and Anna Paquin. Off camera, Helfer also enjoys a prolific voice-acting career, contributing to hugely popular video game franchises like Halo, Mass Effect and Starcraft. A fan favorite, she won a Spike Award for her work as Sarah Kerrigan in Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. This summer, Helfer joined an all-star cast for Disney’s animated TV series “TRON: Uprising,” providing the integral voice of The Grid. Born on a farm in rural Alberta, Canada, Helfer was discovered by a modeling scout while still a teenager. The small town girl would go on to win Ford Model’s coveted Supermodel of the World contest and grace the covers of ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Vogue magazines. In 2002, Helfer retired from modeling and began studying at the Penny Templeton Acting Studio in New York. Within a year of relocating to Los Angeles, she would land her breakthrough role of Six on “Battlestar Galactica.” When not on set, Helfer pursues her passion for riding motorbikes and hiking. She is honored to lend her time and talent to HIV/AIDS organizations, environmental issues, and causes promoting the well-being of animals. ### JT HODGES (Owen) — For his first single, JT Hodges has come out of the gate with a song about hunting. It does not involve bird calls or camouflage, but rather the most universal pursuit known to man. In a rollicking song that recalls a hot night in “Hunt You Down,” catchand-release never sounded so steamy. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘FINDING CHRISTMAS’ – Cast Bios – Page 2 Country fans are wanting to hunt Hodges down too, after getting a listen to this infectious summer single. Besides “Hunt You Down,” there’s plenty more to be pursued in JT Hodges, the Texas newcomer’s alternately tender and raucous Show Dog – Universal Music debut. The singer/songwriter worked with a triumvirate of top producers—Mark Wright, Don Cook, and Mark Collie—who collaborated for the first time to bring their find to the greater public. Those aren’t the only Nashville “names” putting their imprimatur on this freshman effort: Hodges’ cowriters include top veterans like Rivers Rutherford, and Vince Gill even adds harmony and a guitar solo to one key ballad. What these insiders already know, fans are quickly finding out: Behind those baby blue eyes lies the seasoned soul of a country-rock classicist. Hodges grew up wanting to be a songwriter, which had a two-fold impact: it made him hungry to cut his own material, but also left him with the good sense to know when somebody else has just nailed it. In the end Hodges co-wrote nine of the album’s 11 songs. Some of the songs on this record were inspired by Hodges’ own comings and goings in relationships as in songs like “Right About Now” and “Out of My Mind.” Others came from outside observations of people and their own lives in songs like “Sleepy Little Town,” and from good-time feelings inspired by a city, back road or even a season like “Hunt You Down,” “Green Eyes and Red Sunglasses” and “Rhythm of the Radio.” Things take a much more sober turn on “When I Stop Cryin,” the ballad that has Vince Gill as its VIP guest. There is undoubtedly a rock edge to much of the JT Hodges album, as there is to most of contemporary country, steeped as the music is today in the genre-adjacent influence of the Eagles, Don Henley, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews, but Hodges says it was no surprise that he ended up in country music. JT Hodges makes his acting debut as a lead in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie, “Christmas Share.” ### MARK LUTZ (Sean) — Mark Lutz is perhaps best known for his role as the popular Groosalugg, or Groo, on Joss Whedon’s hit TV series “Angel” - but the role is one of many for the Montreal native. He’s also logged more than 50 appearances in film and television and is an award-winning writer and producer. Lutz grew up the eldest of four children in a very close-knit family. An early love of all things aquatic led him to competitive swimming. By the age of 8, he was breaking Canadian agegroup swimming records; in college, he was named MVP of the swim team and competed at the Canadian Olympic trials. His swim career was cut short, however, when his shoulder blew out. Upon leaving university with an Honors B.A. in political science, specializing in International Relations, Lutz began pursuing an acting career. A natural at improvisation and sketch comedy, he trained at Toronto’s famed Second City and enjoyed successful stints at some of the city’s improv comedy venues. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘FINDING CHRISTMAS’ – Cast Bios – Page 3 Subsequently discovered by a talent agent, Lutz shifted into film and television - quickly amassing such impressive credits as “Friends,” “E.R.,” “King & Maxwell,” “Twins,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “External Affairs,” “What About Brian?,” “Power Play,” “Dick,” “La Femme Nikita,” “Queer as Folk,” “Specimen,” “Flashpoint” and “The Facts of Life Reunion.” Lutz was the writer, star and associate producer of “Victor,” the inspirational yet tragic true story of the late Canadian Olympic swimming champion Victor Davis. A ratings smash for the CBC, it earned multiple Gemini Awards, and has been shown in over 30 countries including Hallmark Movie Channel. Subsequently, Lutz wrote, starred-in and produced “Miranda & Gordon” - which won the prestigious Remi audience award at the Houston Worldfest Film Festival, and completed his latest endeavor - the pilot “E.M.S.,” an exciting look into the world of paramedics. ### CRISTINA ROSATO (Mia) — Montreal native Cristina Rosato continues her rise in Canada’s film and television industry through a number of new, diverse and marking roles. Among her many upcoming appearances is a recurring role on the new highly-anticipated French television series “Les Jeunes Loups,” directed by Erik Canuel, to be diffused on TVA. Rosato recently appeared in the two-part miniseries, “Exploding Sun” alongside David James Elliott and Julia Ormond, which aired in April on Reelz Channel in the United States and Space Channel in Canada. Rosato played the role of Samantha Kaye on the popular CBC series “Republic of Doyle,” which aired in April 2013. The multi-talented, multilingual actor also plays Francesca on ABC’s “Rookie Blue.” Her ability to speak several languages fluently helped her book the role of Francesca, which was rewritten to be an Italian-speaking character after Cristina auditioned for the role speaking in an Italian accent. Rosato can also be seen alongside some of Canada’s most notable performances on the hit Radio-Canada French television series “Trauma.” The series, created and produced by Fabienne Larouche, is in its fourth season and as popular as ever with audiences and critics alike. The drama follows the lives of emergency room doctors - with Rosato among the ensemble cast, playing a controversial Italian neurosurgeon, Dr. Giulia Amaro. Rosato’s busy slate of projects are just the latest credits in an already impressive career for the actor. Past credits include roles on CBS’s “Flashpoint,” Showcase’s “Lost Girl,” the Space TV movie, “Borealis” and “XIII: The Series,” opposite Stuart Townsend. Rosato is proudest of her starring role in the bilingual horror film “Territories,” in which she played a writer forced to give up false information while being tortured as a hostage at Guantanamo. The film was shot in both French and English, and challenged her as an actor both physically and emotionally, through long hours of shooting in frigid Montreal temperatures. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘FINDING CHRISTMAS’ – Cast Bios – Page 4 The gorgeous actor splits her time between Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Los Angeles and New York, while continuing to expand her talents both in front of and behind the camera. She maintains a healthy and active lifestyle through running, yoga, ballet and doing random headstands! --HALLMARK CHANNEL--